The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-02-27
THE Utah "THEOCRACY"
MILL AN UNSOLvED PROBLEM
To CONGRESSMEN.
Polygamy Not the kost Perplexins
Feature OF It-Why II is Dif-
acult to Deal With IL.

IrrrcIAL oonRxsr0NpxNos OF THE APPEAL.t
WASHINGTON, February N.-It
has taken Congress long time to |
master even the alphabet Of the |
Mormon question. / doubt if ma
iority Of those who have voted for |
the legislation Of the present session |
have vet progressed beyond their A,
b Cs in the study of it-and l say
this without intending to cast dis
credit upon the real or industry OF
INV friend, Kate Field, as a mission
ary-although | must admit that the
bill as it has been finally perfected
does bear Internal evidence that its
trainers, at least, begin to understand
it. Tits not polygamy that has made
the Mormon question so difficult to
deal with. That peculiar incident
came into the church by accident
rather than by design-to relieve a
few Of the leaders Of their social en-
barrsssments. The church at first
repudiated itand for nine years de-
MED it, and was ready, 6fteen years
ago, to abapdon it forever on condi-
ton that Utah should then be ad-
,mitted TO sthe Union as State. L
believe that the Mormons would to-
day care very little for polygamy ii
they could only be assured OF the
right TO govern them selves in their
own way. Plural marriages have not
been as frequent since the compile
ton of the Pacific railroad AZ before;
the percentages of those who have
more than one wife is smaller than
it has been Tor years the open prac-
tice Of polygamy is no longer safe,
and the thinking men among the
Mormons already understand that in
the end they must surrender it or be
harassed ali their lives by The dan
ger OF arrest, trial before an un-
friendly court and certain punish
ment.
II polygamy we're the only intoler-
able thing about Mormonism, there
fore, think the President and Con-
guess might solve the problem in a
month. The trouble with Mormon
ism is structural" involving the
very essence of its existence as a
church and organized community. It
does not lie in its creed and strictly
religious teachings; those may seem
to us foolish in some respects ridicu-
lous, but they are no more 80 than
those that have been taught by some
other sects whose growth in numbers
give us no concern. 1t is to be found
In the fact that they have set up a
government in Utah outside of that
OF the United States, not Republican
In spirit or form. For forty years it
has defied the Federal authority,
sometimes, as when Brigham Young
controlled the Executive Depart
ment, the city corporations, the
courts, the police, the militia and the
Legislature, openly and aggressively,
and sometimes, as at present, per-
haps, with less display of arrogance.
But from the day when they organ
lied the state OF Deseret" and APP
piled for its admission into the
Union, the government Of Utah has
been theocracy, and every effort Of
the United States to substitute its
own authority has failed. The legis
lation OF the present session OF Con-
gress to overturn this theocraey and
set up government by the United
States goes farther than any previ-
GUS act, but, with the fullest posi-
bic measure Of success, it will not
effect q revolution--only oiroum-
scribe little the scope Of the
hierarchy.